This application claims benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-290922 filed in Japan on Sep. 25, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape loading device for loading a tape in a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus such as a video tape recorder and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
VTRs (video tape recorders) sometimes employ a front loading system for substantially horizontally loading a tape cassette from the front surface of a cabinet. In the front loading system, when the tape cassette is inserted into a cassette holder from the front surface of the cabinet, the cassette holder moves to a tape loading device and loads it on the tape loading device. When the tape cassette is set at a predetermined position, the tape in the tape cassette is pulled out by the tape loading device.
In a helical scan system, the tape pulled out from the tape cassette is wound around a drum. That is, the tape loading device includes a pair of tape pull-out members (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9cslidersxe2x80x9d) that pass through the vicinity of an end of a drum from the vicinity of the tape cassette and move to the vicinity of the other end of the drum. The tape is pulled out by being hooked with the sliders and wound around the drum. With this operation, data can be recorded to and reproduced from the tape.
Each slider includes a guide roller rotatably mounted on a shaft having a flange, and an inclining post. As the sliders move, the tape is pulled out from the tape cassette while being in contact with the surfaces of the guide rollers and the inclining posts and travels by being guided by the guide rollers and the inclining posts.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are bottom plan views showing the back side of the chassis of a tape loading device as a related art of the above tape loading device.
A tape cassette (not shown) is transported by a cassette loading device (not shown) such that the tape take-out surface of the tape cassette is disposed at a position where it faces the peripheral surface of a drum (not shown).
A pair of guide openings 1 and 2 are formed through a chassis (not shown) from the vicinity of the position of a cassette holder at a time a tape cassette has been loaded to the vicinity of the front end of the drum through the vicinity of the rear end of the drum. The drum (not shown) is interposed between the guide openings 1 and 2. Sliders 3 and 4 for pulling out a tape are guided by the guide openings 1 and 2 and can slide from a position in the vicinity of the front end of the cassette holder to the rear end of the drum.
A guard panel on the front surface of the tape cassette opens in a process in which the tape cassette is inserted into a cabinet and loaded by the cassette loading device. On the completion of loading of the tape cassette, the guide rollers and the inclining posts of the sliders 3 and 4 are located inwardly of the tape in the tape cassette. When the tape cassette has been loaded, it is possible to pull out the tape from the tape cassette.
The sliders 3 and 4 move to the rear end of the drum along the guide openings 1 and 2 from the above state so as to pull out and load the tape. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the tape starts to be loaded.
Link mechanisms are mounted to ends of the sliders 3 and 4, and the rotation of a loading drive gear 7 is transmitted to the sliders 3 and 4 through the link mechanisms so that the sliders 3 and 4 are driven so as to slide along the guide openings 1 and 2.
That is, a pair of gears 5 and 6, which are meshed with each other, are rotatably disposed to the chassis between the guide openings 1 and 2. The gear 5 has a cut-out gear 14 disposed thereto coaxially, and a loading drive gear 7 is meshed with the cut-out gear 14. Thus, the gears 5 and 6 are rotated by the rotation of the loading drive gear 7.
The gears 5 and 6 have levers 8 and 9 fixed thereto and these levers 8 and 9 constitute link mechanisms, respectively. One ends of coupling members 10 and 11 are rotatably supported at the extreme ends of the levers 8 and 9 by means of shafts. The other ends of the coupling members 10 and 11 are rotatably supported by engaging portions 12 and 13 disposed at the rear ends of the sliders 3 and 4 by means of shafts.
The gears 5 and 6 are rotated in an opposite direction by the rotation of the loading drive gear 7, and the rotation of the gears 5 and 6 rotates the levers 8 and 9 about the rotational shafts of the gears 5 and 6. With this operation, the coupling members 10 and 11 connected to the extreme ends of the levers 8 and 9 are also moved, whereby the sliders 3 and 4 mounted at the extreme ends of the coupling members 10 and 11 are moved along the guide openings 1 and 2.
FIG. 2 shows a state before the completion of loading of the tape. The sliders 3 and 4 have locking portions 15 and 16 formed at the extreme ends thereof. The sliders 3 and 4 slide along the guide openings 1 and 2 until the locking portions 15 and 16 are abutted against catchers 17 and 18 fixed in the vicinity of the rear end of the drum disposed to the chassis. With this operation, when the tape has been loaded, the guide rollers and the inclining posts are located at predetermined stop positions in the vicinity of the rear end of the drum.
The positions of the sliders 3 and 4 must be fixed in a state in which the locking portions 15 and 16 thereof are abutted against the catchers 17 and 18 to permit the tape to stably travel while being wound around the drum. For this purpose, springs 19 are interposed between predetermined positions of the lever 8 and 9 and predetermined positions on the peripheries of the gears 5 and 6. The springs 19 energize the sliders 3 and 4 and move them in the directions of the catchers 17 and 18, that is, in a tape loading direction by further rotating and stopping the loading drive gear 7 after the locking portions 15 and 16 are abutted against the catchers 17 and 18. The energizing force of the springs 19 causes the catchers 17 and 18 to press the locking portions 15 and 16 so that the guide rollers are located at the positions regulated by the catchers 17 and 18.
The springs 19 must be provided to fix the guide rollers at the positions regulated by the catchers 17 and 18, which increases the number of parts, makes an assembly job such as a job for mounting the springs 19, and the like complicated and increases cost.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tape loading device capable of reducing the number of parts, simplifying an arrangement and making it easy to assemble the device.
A tape loading device of the present invention includes a loading drive gear; a pair of tape guides; coupling members for coupling the loading drive gear with the pair of tape guides and moving the tape guides between a loading start position and a loading terminating position by the rotation of the loading drive gear; and a pair of loading stoppers for stopping the tape guides at the loading terminating position, wherein the loading drive gear has a shaft supported by an elastic member, is located at a center in an ordinary state and is decentered by a force in a predetermined direction against the elastic force of the elastic member, and the tape loading device further includes a unit disposed to the coupling members and the loading drive gear for exerting a force in the decentering direction on the loading drive gear by further rotating the loading drive gear after the pair of tape guides are abutted against the loading stoppers, thereby exerting the elastic force generated by the elastic member on the tape guides abutted against the loading stoppers through the coupling members.
A tape loading device of the present invention includes a rotatable loading drive gear; first and second arms rotated by the rotation of the loading drive gear; a pair of tape guides coupled with the first and second arms, respectively and moved by the rotation of the first and second arms, respectively; a pair of loading stoppers for stopping the movement of the pair of tape guides at predetermined positions when a tape has been loaded; a first unit for generating a force by decentering the loading drive gear; and a second unit for exerting, when the tape has been loaded, the force generated by the first unit by decentering the loading drive gear on the first and second arms so as to press the pair of tape guides against the pair of loading stoppers.
Further, a tape loading device of the present invention includes a rotatable loading drive gear; first and second arms rotated by the rotation of the loading drive gear; a pair of tape guides moved by the rotation of the first and second arms, respectively; a pair of loading stoppers for stopping the movement of the pair of tape guides at predetermined positions when a tape has been loaded; a first unit for generating a force by decentering the loading drive gear; and a second unit for abutting the first and second arms against the loading drive gear by rotating the first and second arms to the loading terminating position to thereby decenter the loading drive gear, whereby exerting the force generated by the first unit on the first and second arms so as to press the pair of tape guides against the pair of loading stoppers.
The other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.